PFI-TT: Development of Highly Adhesive Hydrogel for Cornea Tissue Regeneration

该创新技术转化伙伴关系（PFI-TT）项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是一种用于角膜修复和移植的新型生物相容性、抗菌性和透明粘合剂，将显著降低与当前护理标准相关的延长和二次治疗的成本。在美国每年240万眼损伤中，60万是开放性地球仪角膜撕裂，导致5万例失明。全世界有1800万例此类失明病例。每年的角膜移植市场在全国范围内有40，000例手术，在全球范围内估计有185，000例。申报产品有望规避当前手术方法和术后成本以及角膜修复护理的局限性。这将为整个生态系统节省成本，例如患者，保险公司（包括医疗保险）和医院。 美国和世界市场的商业化潜力可能会在研发、营销和制造方面创造就业机会。 该项目工作的目标是为来自代表性不足背景的学生、妇女、少数民族和残疾人提供更多的技术教学和外联机会。该项目提出了一种用于角膜修复和移植的生物相容性和抗菌生物粘合剂。目前的护理标准包括眼内固定和氰基丙烯酸酯胶，其遭受与散光、继发性感染、细胞毒性和视网膜病变相关的额外治疗成本。预期申报产品可通过其生物相容性、高粘附性、柔韧性和高强度缓解这些次要问题。粘合剂将迅速整合角膜细胞，以促进伤口密封，减少继发感染的机会以及相关的住院和药物费用增加。 材料的透明度将使视力快速恢复。该材料具有很强的粘附性和抗菌性，可防止意外移除，并提供出色的稳定性和高保持力。该项目的目标将通过三项主要任务来实现。在第一项任务中，该团队将系统地探索实验条件对生物粘附特性的影响，如组织粘附性，生物相容性，柔韧性，透明度和抗菌性能。在第二项任务中，将通过研究应用于角膜泪液时的变化来确定生物粘合剂的降解和保留。在第三项任务中，将通过研究生物粘附剂对角膜细胞的影响以及角膜细胞随时间推移迁移到生物粘附剂中来评估生物粘附剂在体内的综合能力。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation-Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project is a new biocompatible, antimicrobial and transparent adhesive for corneal repair and grafting that will significantly reduce costs of extended and secondary treatment associated with current standards of care. Of the 2.4 million eye injuries yearly in the US, 600,000 are open globe corneal tears, leading to blindness in 50,000 cases. There are 18 million cases of such blindness worldwide. The annual corneal grafting market is 40,000 procedures nationally and an estimated 185,000 worldwide. The proposed product is expected to circumvent the limitations of current surgical approaches and postoperative cost and care in corneal repair. This would result in cost savings for the entire ecosystem, such as patients, insurance companies (including Medicare), and hospitals. The commercialization potential in the US and world markets can potentially generate job opportunities in research and development, marketing, and manufacturing. Additional technical teaching and outreach opportunities involving students from underrepresented backgrounds, women, minorities, and people with disabilities are targeted with this project work. The proposed project presents a biocompatible and antimicrobial bioadhesive for corneal repair and grafting. Current standards of care include suturing and cyanoacrylate glue, which suffers from additional treatment costs related to astigmatism, secondary infections, cytotoxicity, and retinopathy. The proposed product is expected to mitigate these secondary problems with its biocompatibility, high adhesion, flexibility, and high strength. The adhesive will rapidly integrate corneal cells to facilitate wound sealing, reducing the chances of secondary infection and the associated incremental hospitalization and medication costs. The material transparency will enable rapid vision restoration. The material is strongly adhesive and antimicrobial, preventing accidental removal and offering excellent stability and high retention. The goals of this project will be accomplished with three main tasks. In the first task, the team will systematically explore the effect of experimental conditions on bioadhesive characteristics, such as tissue adhesion, biocompatibility, flexibility, transparency, and antibacterial properties. In the second task, degradation and retention of the bioadhesive will be determined by investigating the changes when applied to corneal tears. In the third task, the integrative capacity of the bioadhesive in vivo will be assessed by studying its effects on corneal cells, as well as the migration of corneal cells into the bioadhesive over time.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.